SWABI: The residents and transporters have resented a prolonged delay in the completion of Swabi-Jehangira Road, demanding that the reconstruction work should be accelerated.

The project is of great importance for transportation needs of the people because it links Swabi with Nowshera district and capital Islamabad. The total length of Swabi-Jehangira Road is over 16 km but a portion was constructed earlier, while 11km road was in bad condition.

The conversion of the road into a dual carriageway and extension of the bridges were included in the project.

The sources in the communication and works department told Dawn on Saturday that it was Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority project and the construction activities were commenced on April 22, 2021, and its original completion date was April 21, 2024, with initial cost ofover Rs3.367 billion.

When contacted, an official in the communication and works department on condition of anonymity said: “The revised cost of over 11 kilometers road has reached to over Rs 4 billion and the revised completion date was July 21, 2025.”

However, the local people remarked another completion date is likely to be announced that, but feared the project would meet the same fate.

They said that they had been traveling for more than four years in the rising dust; each vehicle is followed by a storm of dust, while the people living at the roadside are really in hot waters. Who is responsible for this?

Iqbal Khan who belongs to Tehsil Chota Lahor said: “People with respiratory illnesses are facing extreme hardship.”

Waqib Khan, district president of public transporters said the road condition has led to frequent road accidents, resulting in loss of previous lives besides causing damage to the road runners.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025